Angels & Demons

A billboard offers a reward for information in the murders of Jo, Michelle and Christe Rogers.

By Thomas French, Times Staff Writer

Thursday 23 January 2014 19.00

On June 4, 1989, the bodies of Jo, Michelle and Christe Rogers were found floating in Tampa Bay. This is the story of the murders and their aftermath, a story of a handful of people who kept faith amid the unthinkable.

Times staff writer Thomas French gathered the information for this series from interviews with Hal Rogers and other family members, detectives and prosecutors, and others involved in this case. In addition, information was gathered in court proceedings and from more than 4,000 pages of police reports, court documents and other records. Some of the quotes and scenes were witnessed firsthand by the reporter or photographer or were taken from police reports or transcripts of official proceedings; others are by necessity based on people's recollections.

Staff photographer Cherie Diez took the photos, except where noted. Her photos were taken this year. Hal Rogers and his sister-in-law, Colleen Etzler, provided the Rogers family photos.

Because of its unusual length, Angels & Demons was published at intervals over two weeks to allow time for readers to keep up with the series at their convenience.

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The seven-part series won a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 1998. To read the series day-by-day, click on the links below.